Gather the Children
by leaiso
Summary: MacLeod has a new Watcher, but her life has almost as many twists and turns as any immortal.
1. Chapter 1

Author's Notes This is my first Highlander fanfic and also my first fanfic on While it may be flawed, I am enjoying writing and would appreciate any constructive feedback that is given. Highlander, the idea and its characters are owned by Panzer and Davis. I am borrowing them to tell a story. No profit is being made. All other characters are of my own creation.  
  
Chapter 1  
  
Present Day  
  
Jessi St. Clare drove her car down the winding mountain roads. A mountain on the left side of her, a steep decline and a river was on the right. Her windows were rolled all the way down so that she could enjoy the breeze and the smell of fresh air. She was only half paying attention to the task at hand. The rest of her mind was thinking about her new job and her new life that awaited her in Seacouver. She glanced over at her wrist as she tucked her long dark brown hair behind her ear. It still surprised her whenever she saw the Watcher tattoo staring back at her, even though it had been there for two months. It had been a long and hard fought battle, but in the end she had lost. Her parents were Watchers too. And the legacy went further than that. On her father's side there had been at least one St. Clare as a Watcher going as far back, well, as far back as when Duncan MacLeod still thought he was a mortal. Jessi sighed. When she'd turned 18 is when her parents first told her about the Watchers and about immortals. And she'd considered joining. She had already planned on studying History in college and wanted to get her doctorate. She'd already been learning Greek and Latin in preparation. But that was when the news broke about James Horton's activities and she realized that she wanted no part of an organization that had used its information for hurting people instead of helping. She went on to get her B.A. and then her advanced degrees. She had been hired at Seacouver University as an associate professor. Her parents were delighted. They would only be a few hours drive from her and they could spend some time together. They also decided to once again try to convince her to join the Watchers. They had her talk with Joe Dawson about his experiences. Realizing that there were kindred spirits within the organization, she had decided to give it a shot. She's spent two months in training in Paris and now she was on her way to becoming a university professor and to help Joe with MacLeod's chronicles.   
  
Jessi looked down at her clock "Only an hour to go and I'll be in Seacouver," she thought in excitement. It had been a long drive, but worth it as she was able to see parts of the country she hadn't been able to see before. As she looked back up she saw a man standing in the middle of the road. Noticing that there was oncoming traffic she had no choice but to slam on her brakes. Her car came to skidding halt not more than a foot away from the man. She started to get out of her car to yell at him, but then noticed the gun he held in his hands as he came around to the driver's side door.   
  
"I want your car," the man said. Jessi started to panic, but then quickly got out of the car to let him have it. She started to back away, closer to the decline to give him room to get in.   
He turned to her, "Thanks," he sneered. Jessi then heard the gunshot. Shocked by the impact she tumbled backwards into the river. She plunged into darkness, with the river covering her like a shroud. 


	2. Chapter 2

Highlander, the idea and its characters are owned by Panzer and Davis. I am borrowing them to tell a story. No profit is being made. All other characters are of my own creation.  
  
Chapter 2  
  
Thomas and Gladys St. Clare were busy getting the house ready for their daughter. Thomas was secretly very pleased with himself because his daughter had no idea that they had bought her a house. She thought she was moving into an apartment. The house was small, but cozy and comfortable. It was also close to campus. From the moment that he and Gladys had seen it with its white paint and blue trim, he knew it was perfect. It needed a little bit of work, but it didn't take them long to get it ready. He watched his wife of thirty years hanging up the living room curtains. She turned slightly and smiled when she caught his stare. She playfully swatted him. "Get back to work," she ordered gently.   
  
He reached into the storage box and pulled out the sword that had been given to Jessi on her 18th birthday. No one knew who had sent it. A card had been attached that read "Watch over it." Both Thomas and Gladys assumed it had been a fellow watcher with a sense of humor. Everyone knew that Jessi had been involved in fencing and martial arts as a child.   
  
He carefully hung the sword over the fireplace mantle. It looked majestic. Admiring his handiwork he couldn't help but wonder who it had belonged to. He glanced over at the clock on the mantel and realized it was nearly two o'clock. "Gladys, hurry and get cleaned up. Jessi should be here any minute now," he hollered down the hall.  
  
"Ok!"  
  
The minutes passed into hours. It was now just after five o'clock and Jessi still had not shown up. He had tried calling her cell phone but she hadn't responded yet. Thomas tried to hide his worry and concern. Gladys could not. Jessi was rarely ever late and when she was, she always called ahead. He tried to keep his mind off his worry by thinking about the day Jessi had been born. On that day he had promised that while he would protect her always, he would never be overprotective or domineering. He liked to think that he'd kept that promise. As the minutes continued to tick by his mind wandered to what had happened when she was ten. As it turned to five-thirty he decided to try calling Joe to see if he had heard from her. All he got was a busy signal. He stood up. "Gladys, I am heading to Joe's to see if he's heard from her. Stay here, please, so that someone's here when she shows up." He stood up and she leaned over and embraced him, their eyes searching the other's, begging each other not to worry. She watched him walk out to his car and drive off.   
  
Thomas blinked as he entered the dimly-lit bar. He rarely was able to visit Joe's. It was a shame, really, since he loved the blues nearly as much as Joe. As his eyes adjusted he saw a group of his fellow watchers sitting around a table playing a card game. He assumed it was poker. "Hey Thomas, pull up a chair," Joe greeted his longtime friend.  
  
"No thanks Joe. Actually I am here to see if you have heard from Jessi. She was supposed to be in town several hours ago." Thomas' concern was evident.   
  
"No, I haven't," Joe's faced fell a bit as he took in the information, "She's not supposed to check in with me until tomorrow."  
  
Thomas walked over to an empty chair and sat down. "This isn't like her. You know this isn't like her." Joe nodded in understanding. He could tell that Thomas was scared and what was disconcerting was that Joe knew from experience that Thomas had a good reason to feel that way.   
  
A moment later everyone looked up as two police officers walked in. One looked to be 25-30ish while the other was clearly in his late 40's. "Joe Dawson," the older officer said, directing his gaze at the group."  
  
"Yes"  
  
"Do you know a Jessica St. Clare?"  
  
Thomas blinked several times, his worst fears coming true as he heard how the police had arrested a convicted felon outside of a gas station. After searching the car that he had been driving, they had found Jessi's purse and other belongings. The first name they had come across that included an address was Joe's.   
  
Betty Johanson was the first too see Thomas falling over. She was able to break the fall so that he didn't hurt himself. The younger office came forward to check Thomas' vital signs. The older office called for medical assistance.   
  
"Jessi is his daughter," Betty informed them. The younger officer immediately noticed the tattoo on the fallen man's wrist. Looking up he saw that the same tattoo was on the woman's wrist as well. "Hey Pete, will you go get the first aid kit. His vital signs are strong. I think he just fainted." Pete immediately sprinted from the bar. Tony looked at the woman in front of him. He realized that she looked familiar, but that they had never met. He decided to take a risk.   
  
"Is Jessi a watcher too? Is she following anyone? I need to know because it may help us find her."  
  
Betty looked at him in surprise, her blue eyes widened, "I.....I.....I don't know what you are talking about," she stammered. She looked to Joe for support. Joe shrugged. The other watchers looked on in concern and shock since they knew that Anthony Brooks was her assignment.   
As Pete rushed back in she realized that it really didn't matter anymore, "Yes she is, no she's not," she hissed quietly back to him.   
  
It wasn't long before a EMT unit had arrived. Thomas had regained consciousness but everyone felt it best for him to be checked out by a doctor. Tony quietly whispered to her father that he would do everything he could to find Jessi. After asking Pete to find Mrs. St. Clare, Tony turned back to the group in front of him. "Your jobs are to watch, to find. Help me to find her." 


	3. Chapter 3

Highlander, the idea and its characters are owned by Panzer and Davis. I am borrowing them to tell a story. No profit is being made. All other characters are of my own creation.  
Chapter 3  
  
"It's not that we don't want to help you, its just that we can't," Betty replied.  
  
"Look if its that noninterference thing, right now I am a cop, not an immortal."  
  
"We know that, we just don't have any information that can help you. Gladys might though."  
  
"Ok then. I'll keep you updated if I find anything." Tony look at the woman in front of him. He knew what she was, and laughed, "By the way, my favorite color is green," and turned and walked away.   
  
As the door shut behind him, Betty whispered to herself, "I know."  
  
Meanwhile.....  
  
Marcus Constantine was sitting beside a hospital bed. A young woman, late 20's, laid there. Her left arm was bandaged from the operation. He still wondered what had possessed him to jump in after her. He knew though. He knew it was because if she had still been alive when she hit the water, he could save her. The jump hadn't been too far down for an immortal, that is. And he could swim incredibly well. He had to perform CPR, but the paramedics had gotten there quickly since another witness to the incident had immediately called the police. He laughed wryly as he remembered the young cop who had questioned why Marcus had jumped. "I used to be a high diver, back in the day," he'd replied. The young woman would live, he'd found out. He'd seen the tattoo on her wrist and decided that while she may never interfere, he would. He continued on with her to the hospital, and sat in the waiting room while she was in surgery to remove the bullet. He'd tried to call MacLeod to see if he could contact the Watchers. The police had no idea who she was since she had no i.d on her. He tried a second time, but still didn't get an answer. He wasn't even sure he was calling the right Duncan MacLeod. And so Marcus waited, sitting next to her bed, watching her sleep. Thankful that she was still alive.  
  
He'd almost started dozing, himself, when she began to get a bit restless. "Darius," he heard her say.   
"But she's too young to have been Darius' watcher, or even one of the ones who had killed Darius," he thought too himself. She continued to grow restless and then as suddenly it had started, it stopped. She grew quiet again.   
  
Inside Jessi's memories  
1987  
  
Jessi skipped as she traveled from school to the dojo. It had taken a lot of begging on her part, but her parents had finally relented and allowed her to start learning martial arts and fencing. She was in love with Westley from Princess Bride and she wanted to be able to fight just like him. Today was her karate lesson. She never saw the dark green van pull up behind her, but she felt the gloved hands clamp around her mouth and waist. She was too tiny to fight back. She was unceremoniously thrown on the floor of the van. She saw a dark skinned man staring back at her.   
  
"Well won't your parent's be surprised," he said to her. Jessi was frightened, but didn't say anything. Another man quickly gagged her and then tied her hands and feet together so she couldn't move.   
  
Time passed as it normally does for a ten year old who is extremely scared. She sat there wondering what it was that she had done wrong to be treated like this. They were on an airplane now. After liftoff, the man allowed her to be ungagged and untied.   
  
"Be a good little girl and don't cause trouble and you can stay untied throughout the trip,"  
  
Jessi nodded as an agreement. The man smiled and snapped his fingers, "Bring us some food, I am sure the little one is hungry now." The second man sat a sandwich, carrots, and milk in front of the girl. She was a bit surprised by this. Somehow she figured that kidnapped children (for she knew that is what had happened to her), only got bread and water, if they got any food. The flight was long, and before long little Jessi was fast asleep.   
  
She awoke to find herself laying in a bed. Next to here was a dresser. Opening it, she found several pairs of clothes. She closed it, and like any curious child, she started looking around. She saw that there was another bed and another dresser in the room. The bedroom door was on the other wall. She walked to it and tried the handle. She was rather surprised to find that it opened easily. She wandered out of the room into a great hall. On the walls were pictures of men-warriors. There were swords hanging on the walls in decoration. At the end of the hall was a suit of armor. She then could hear some children laughing. Following the sound, she was startled when the dark-skinned man was suddenly in front of her.   
  
"I didn't mean to startle you my dear," he leaned down to her level. "My name is Xavier St. Cloud and I am going to be taking care of you from now on." 


	4. Chapter 4

Highlander, the idea and its characters are owned by Panzer and Davis. I am borrowing them to tell a story. No profit is being made. All other characters are of my own creation.  
Chapter 4  
  
1987  
  
Days, and then weeks passed for Jessi as she continued to study and to train. Xavier had convinced her that her parents had died and that there was no one else to care for her. That he had surprised her because there was an evil man watching her and he didn't want to give the evil man a chance to grab her. There were six other children at Xavier's school. There was one boy older than Jessi. Tony was 14. The other children were younger, Kaitlin and Jenny were 7. Jacob and Peter were both 8 and Jason was 9. They were all from English speaking countries, Jessi had noticed immediately. Kaitlin and Jenny had been from the same foster home in Canada. Jacob was Scottish. Peter was English. Tony, Jessi, and Jason were American. It didn't really matter too much. Part of their training was learning to speak several languages. He also had them trained extensively in the martial arts and fencing. He claimed that when they grew up, the strongest of them would be like he was, able to be young forever, as a part of his army of warriors. The others would support them, spy for him where the Chosen could not. None of the children knew if they would be a Chosen or a Seeker. The children both loved and feared Xavier. He provided them with toys and gifts, but when they upset him they would be locked up for days. Then one day, Xavier was gone. The children were scared, but James said that Xavier would return. Slowly Xavier weaned himself away from the children. He needed his little army, especially since he knew that the Gathering was getting closer to time. After all that blasted Connor MacLeod had defeated the Kurgan. But he had other places to be, things to steal. He still wanted to live his life of luxury and not be saddled by seven children. He had done what he could so that they would remain under his thumb for the rest of their lives.  
  
Jessi entered the dining room. The other children were already seated around the table, as was James, Xavier's first student. The guards were also surrounding the room. She sat down at the ornately decorated table and started eating her food. She didn't really like meal times because talking was strictly forbidden. James scared her. He always seemed on edge and she didn't know why. The children always ate dinner quickly, because it was only after dinner that they were allowed to play games and have fun. The rest of the day was spent studying, learning, and practicing. This day was no different, however suddenly James stood up quickly.  
  
"Guards, there is someone on the premises. Quickly find him!" He said in his strong Irish brogue. He glared at the children. "Stay here. Don't move." The children, fearful of what would happen to them if they did move, nodded their agreement. James then grabbed one of the swords off from the wall and walked around. It wasn't long before the children heard the clanging of swords. Minutes passed and then they heard an unknown man shout, "There can be only one!" Lightening started flashing everywhere. The children didn't know what it was. Tony gathered the others around him, as they huddled in the corner. The lightening storm lasted for about a minute, but it seemed like a lifetime for the children as they saw pictures on the wall get struck down. Finally they saw a man round the corner. Tony immediately jumped up and grabbed one of the other swords decorating the walls. And pointed it at the stranger.  
  
"Relax son. I am not here to hurt you. I didn't even know you were here. Xavier must have found you all, huh?" He said. Jessi trusted the man's hardened, but kind eyes.  
  
She timidly stepped forward, "Actually Xavier said that my parents are dead. But I don't believe him because he kidnapped me."  
  
The stranger kneeled down to her level. "Well then I think we need to get you home, don't you?"  
  
Jessi broke into a big smile and reached over and hugged the stranger, "Thank-you!"  
  
The stranger rose again, and reached out so she could hold his hand. He looked over at Tony who was still gripping the sword. "Put the sword away. I will take you all to a friend of mine who will help us get you all home." Tony laid the sword down and motioned to Jenny and Kaitlin to hold his hands. The rest of the boys followed as the stranger led them out of the house. and walked them down the street. It was still light out, but the sun was getting close to setting. Jessi realized, for the first time in nearly six months that they weren't in America. The seven children scrunched into the tiny car as the stranger got in the driver's seat. About ten minutes later they reached a church. They got out and walked to the gates. Jessi saw the stranger tense for a moment, but the smile on his face contradicted his body posture. A man in robes approached them. He had a very kind face.  
  
"Connor! What are you doing here? And who are these children?"  
  
Connor laughed, "Well, I went looking for St. Cloud, but found these children instead. Children, this is Darius. Sorry Darius but I haven't had the chance to ask them their names yet. Can you take care of them until we figure out who their parents are?" Connor pointedly looked at Darius.  
  
"Of course! Gather the children up and bring them in!" Darius opened the gates and allowed the small band of children in to the church. Once inside he allowed them into his chambers. He wanted them to feel comfortable while he and Connor tried to gather information about the children. Jessi wandered around. She saw hundreds of books, most of them looked rather old. One of them caught her eye. "Darius," she said cautiously.  
  
"What is it child?"  
  
"Do you know my mommy and daddy? This is the same symbol that they have on their wrists. They even said that one day when I am grown up, I can have the same symbol. Do you know them?"  
  
Darius looked at the book she pointed too. "I don't think I know your parents, child, but I should be able to find them rather easily."  
  



	5. Chapter 5

Highlander, the idea and its characters are owned by Panzer and Davis. I am borrowing them to tell a story. No profit is being made. All other characters are of my own creation.  
  
1987  
  
Darius was stymied. Days had turned into a week, which had turned into two. He had managed to return all of the other children to their original homes with the help of Fitzcairn. Fitz played an inspector and convinced the parents that the kidnapper had been killed by a freak accident and that because of this there would be no trial. Most of the parents were satisfied with this explanation. All of them, even the foster parents, were ecstatic that their children were home. The only child left was Jessi. He'd thought it would be so easy to return her. They had tried to call her home, but the phone number had been disconnected. He'd planned to keep his eye out and figured if he was looking for his watcher he would spot him or her. He could return her that way. But it was all to no avail. (He had no way of knowing that his regularly assigned watcher was on vacation). And so he continued Jessi's language and history lessons. He looked forward to the hours of the day that he taught her. Jessi looked forward to it as well, because unlike Xavier and James, Darius would not only answer her questions, but encouraged them as well. And so finally he contacted Connor. The two of them, along with the child left the church on a bright sunny day nearly two weeks after she and the other children had first arrived. Jessi was excited. Darius had allowed her to play outside in the day, as long as she stayed on holy ground, but she hadn't been able to leave the gates. The two immortals and the one child walked slowly around Paris for much of the day. Connor and Darius kept their eyes out for someone following them. Finally Connor sensed that one of the tourists was not a tourist. He leaned down and whispered something to Jessi. She looked at him gravely and nodded. She then walked over to the stranger and stopped right in front of him.  
  
"Excuse me, sir," she said.  
  
The startled man, who had been reading a newspaper, looked down at her. His facial expression made him appear amused. He didn't say anything.  
  
Jessi wasn't sure what to do. She looked back at Darius and saw him nod to her, encouraging her to go.  
  
"Excuse me sir," she said again, "but do you have a tattoo like my mommy and daddy, right here?" She pointed to her wrist.  
  
The man laid his newspaper down, now clearly surprised. Jessi saw the tattoo immediately. She turned to wave to Darius and Connor. As soon as they saw her wave they nodded and turned and left. The man watched them go. He then stooped down to her level. "And what were you doing with them, child?" he asked.  
  
"Bad men kidnapped me and they rescued me."  
  
"Ah, well then I guess you're name is Jessi."  
  
The young girl gasped, "Do you know my parents?" she asked excitedly.  
  
"No, but I have heard of them and I have heard of you. Let's get you back to your parents." He now had a gentle smile on his face as he took the hand of the ten year old. They started to walk towards his car, but Jessi stopped short, and looked back to where Darius and Connor had been standing.  
  
"Do you think I will ever see them again?" she asked in a quiet whisper.  
  
"Maybe, just maybe, you might."  



	6. Chapter 6

Gather the Children  
  
Chapter 6  
  
Tony Brooks was on his way to a small rural hospital an hour away from Seacouver. He'd called all the local police stations on Jessi's route and found out that there was a Jane Doe that had been shot earlier in the day. Although he wasn't on duty any more, that did not matter. Someone had messed with his "little sister" and he wanted to make sure she was in good condition.  
  
At first Tony hadn't realized that it was the same girl he'd known when he was 14. But when he'd found out that her parents were Watchers and he'd taken a closer look at her driver's license picture, he was sure it was her. As he drove along the long, twisty highway he thought back to the first time he'd met her.  
  
1987  
  
James was teaching them how to fence. Tony was paired with James, while the other kids were paired off, except for Jason. The younger kids had to take turns sitting out since there was an uneven number of them. James all of a sudden stopped. "Everyone stop!" All of the children immediately stopped, placed their swords at their sides, and looked at James. Xavier came into view with a new child. A girl with dark brown hair and eyes. Like the rest of them had when they first appeared, she looked scared, not quite sure what was going on.  
  
"Children," Xavier exclaimed, "this is your new sister, Jessi. Jessi, the others will introduce themselves later. For now you will join the class and learn." He leaned down to her. "I expect for you to learn the rules before breakfast tomorrow. Do you understand me?"  
  
"Yes, sir." Jessi said. She walked over to where the lone boy was. "I guess we will spare together."  
  
"Yeah, sure!" Jason said.  
  
Dinner finally came and went. Jessi had quickly learned that she wasn't suppose to talk. Finally all seven children were seated in the training room, talking and laughing. Tony introduced himself and the others.  
  
"So who are you?" He asked her.  
  
"My name is Jessi St. Clare. I'm ten. I want to go home."  
  
"This is your home now. That's rule number one." Kaitlin responded.  
  
"Do we have many rules?"  
  
"Yes!" Jacob groaned. "Lots of them!"  
  
Tony explained, "You aren't supposed to talk to James or Xavier unless spoken to. No talking to each other at all during meal times. We are all to go to bed at 8pm and wake up at 7am. We are to learn all of our lessons. If you have to ask a question you must raise your hand. Do you get the idea?"  
  
"Yeah, I think I do. "  
  
The group continued to laugh and play until bedtime. Then they went off to their rooms to go to sleep.  
  
Present day  
  
Tony couldn't help but remember the precocious child he'd known. No doubt she had turned into a strong-willed, independent young woman. He wondered what she looked like. He also wondered if she would turn out to be an immortal, and how the Watcher's would recruit a foundling. He turned his car into the hospital parking lot. He got out of the car and put on his long coat. He walked into the hospital and stopped at the nurse's station.  
  
"I am a police officer in Seacouver investigation a missing persons case. I believe that you have a Jane Doe here," he spoke to an older woman.  
  
"Yes, she's in room 147," the nurse pointed down the hall.  
  
"Thank you." As Tony continued forward, he was suddenly overwhelmed with the presence of another immortal. Wondering if it might be Jessi, he continued forward. As he entered her room, he was suprised to see a gentleman standing at the end of her bed.  
  
"Hello," the other man said. He stood protectively next to the girl.  
  
"Hello," Tony responded. "Is this the woman that was shot today by a car-jacker?"  
  
The man didn't speak for a moment, "Yes, it is. I jumped into the river to try to save her."  
  
"Good. Thank you. I am sure her parents will be glad to here she's ok. My name is Tony Brooks. I am a police office in Seacouver. Do you know Jessi?" he showed the other man is ID Badge.  
  
"My name is Marcus Constantine. No, I don't. I didn't even know her name. I saw the crime and wanted to help her. I just wish that the car-jacker would have picked the next car." he responded wryly.  
  
Tony looked at him with a puzzled expression.  
  
"I was in the next car."  
  
"Ah, I see."  
  
Both men were startled when Jessi began stirring again. She was slowly waking up. "Darius," she said quietly and then was fully awake. She was startled to see two men standing at the edge of her bed. She looked around and realized that she was in a hospital room.  
  
"Where am I?" she asked, but she could barely get the words out. Her mouth was so dry. The younger of the two men picked up the water pitcher by her bed and poured her a glass of water. She noticed that her left arm was bandaged and she realized that she was also in a lot of pain and that her whole body felt stiff and sore. She slowly sipped the water. As her senses returned to her, she realized that both men were extremely familiar. It finally dawned on her who they where and she nearly yelled.  
  
Constantine saw the look of recognition on her face and managed to cover her mouth before she could yell. He saw her struggle underneath his grip.  
  
"Do not worry. We will not hurt you. I was the one that rescued you from the river and he's the police office that has been assigned to look for you. It's ok."  
  
Jessi relaxed a little bit, but was still tense. It was usually never a good sign when a watcher was in the company of immortals.  
  
The younger immortal, Tony Brooks, had remained quiet. He came to the other side of her hospital bed.  
  
"Hey Jessi-cat. How are you? You know you're a sight for sore eyes, don't ya?"  
  
Jessi was confused. The only person who'd ever call me Jessi-cat was Tony. Wait Tony....Tony Brooks. Xavier....Xavier St. Cloud! Of course. It all makes sense now!  
  
"Tony!" She nearly yelped. "Its so good to see you again!" She tried to sit up. Realizing that she was trying to hug him, he leaned over and gave her a small hug to try to keep from hurting her.  
  
A nurse entered the room at that moment, "Well look whose awake. How are you feeling, and more importantly what is your name?" The woman had a gentle smile on her face.  
  
"Jessica St. Clare, and I feel sore all over."  
  
"Well that's to be expected since you were shot and fell into the river. You should thank this man. He saved your life." The nurse pointed to Marcus. "Well I'll go find the doctor to let him know you are awake and to see if he will authorize some pain medication." She turned in left.  
  
Jessi turned to Marcus, "Thank you Mr. Constantine."  
  
"You are welcome Jessi. May I ask you a question?"  
  
"You can ask it but I may not be able to answer it." Jessi and Tony looked at Marcus.  
  
"Well you said Darius a couple of times when you were unconscious. I was just wondering how you knew him."  
  
"Darius? Oh! You mean the old priest that helped get us away from Xavier." She turned to Tony. "Do you remember him?"  
  
"Yep, I do. I liked him."  
  
"Yeah, so um, how do you know him then?" Jessi asked.  
  
Marcus looked at her, his surprise clearly evident. "You do know that he was an immortal, don't you?"  
  
"He was a what?!" she asked incredulously.  
  
"Don't tell me you're a watcher and you don't know what an immortal is?" Marcus laughed.  
  
"Of course I know what an immortal is, I just didn't know he was one." She looked at Tony. "We are talking about the same Darius, aren't we?"  
  
Tony shrugged, "As far as I know."  
  
Marcus spoke up, "I do have a picture of him in my belongings. I will be right back."  
  
As he left, the doctor entered the room and picked up her chart.  
  
"Well, lets see how you are doing Ms. St. Clare. How do you feel?"  
  
"I feel like I've been shot and fell about 50 feet and nearly drowned."  
  
"Ah, sense of humor intact. Check. " the doctor smiled. "You'll be sore for several days, if not weeks, especially your arm. We can increase your pain dosage if you need it."  
  
"Thanks, but I don't like taking too much medicine. Can we see how I feel tomorrow?"  
  
"We can do that." The doctor continued his check up. "Well if there aren't any complications, and I don't expect any, then you should be able to leave tomorrow."  
  
"Yea!" Jessi responded. The doctor smiled again and left. As soon as he was out of earshot, Jessi turned to Tony. "So Xavier was an immortal, and so was James? He must have been. That must have been what happened that night that the man found us."  
  
"You mean Connor?"  
  
"Oh yeah! I had forgotten his name. Connor. Wait! Connor MacLeod?!"  
  
"Yes. He became my teacher after I was shot."  
  
"Ah."  
  
Marcus reentered the room with an old photograph in his hand. Jessi and Tony looked at it. "Yep that's him," she said. "So, that means he's dead." At the look on Marcus's face she explained. "I've only been a Watcher for a couple of months. I only had enough time to learn our methods and techniques and the names and faces of known, living immortals. I was going to learn the rest once I got settled at my new position. Any way, how did it happen? He was a priest the last time we saw him."  
  
Marcus and Tony looked at each other. Tony shrugged and sat down in the chair nearest Jessi's bed. Marcus also sat down. "Jessi, it was the Watchers that did it."  
  
"WHAT?!?!?!" She cried quietly so as not to be overheard, quickly becoming hysterical. "No! It can't be!" Tony reached for Jessi's hand and held it tightly while she grieved. A few moments passed and she once again grew calm. "I didn't join the Watchers the first time they asked because I found out about Horton's activities. I just didn't realize that the man who helped save me from Xavier was one of the one's that Horton killed. He was such a wonderful man. He was wise and intelligent. He had so much to share. It's just not fair."  
  
Highlander is owned by Panzer and Davies. This site, its stories and pages are not for profit and are in no way affiliated with Panzer and Davies. 


	7. Chapter 7

Gather the Children  
  
Chapter 8  
  
Jessi leaned back in her hospital bed, still upset by the thought of what had happened to her friend and mentor. After a few moments of silence Tony cleared his throat, "Uh, we should call your parents."  
  
Jessi looked over at him, "Uh yeah." She reached over and made the call to Glady's cell phone.  
  
"Mom!" She said quietly.  
  
"Jessi! Jessi! Oh baby, are you ok?"  
  
"Yeah mom," Jessi could hear her mother crying, "I'm fine." She waited patiently for her mother to calm down.  
  
"Where are you?"  
  
"County hospital. I'm ok, really," she said quickly, hoping to alleviate her mother's fears. She quickly explained to her mother what had happened, although she decided to leave out the name of the man who had rescued her. "The doctor said I could leave tomorrow."  
  
When hung up the phone, she looked over at Tony and Marcus and sighed. She leaned back her head as if to rest, clearly drained from all the roller coaster emotions from the past hour.  
  
She looked back at Marcus, "Thank you so much for all you have done."  
  
"Not a problem child. Well, I'd best be leaving. No sense in you getting into trouble on my account." He gave her a weak smile and left.   
  
Jessi looked over at Tony and noticed the look of apprehension on his face.  
  
With complete understanding, she quietly whispered, "I don't think you have anything to worry about with him. He's one of the good guys, not like Xavier. But anyway, I'd rather you stay here and keep me company, you don't need to go." Tony looked at her, relief evident on his face. "So tell me," she continued, "What have you been up to the last fifteen years?"  
  
Tony grinned, and sat back down in the visitor's chair and proceeded to tell her everything.   
  
Epilogue  
  
Jessi was home from the hospital. Her arm was healing nicely, though it still pained her a bit. She'd immediately fallen in love with the quaint, old house her parent's had gotten for her. It had been a busy few weeks for her as classes started and she adjusted to her new routine. She sat down at the antique desk that had once belonged to her great-grandmother and pulled out a journal. She knew that she needed to write down, record, what had happened to her as a child. If nothing else it would be a catharsis, but also it would create a more thorough account of Xavier St. Cloud, James O'Connor, Anthony Brooks, and the others who would one day become immortal.  
  
She opened the cover and started to write, "The Gathering if the Children" She scratched it out, the irony of the title made her laugh, despite herself. "Oh wait," she thought to herself, "What was it that Darius said to Connor when we came to him? Oh yes." She took the dark blue pen and began to write, "Gather the Children: A telling of future Watchers and Immortals"  
  
The End  
  
Highlander is owned by Panzer and Davies. This site, its stories and pages are not for profit and are in no way affiliated with Panzer and Davies. 


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